Spartans and Panthers Set To Battle In Martinez Center

TAMPA, Fla. – The University of Tampa men's and women's basketball teams will host the Florida Tech Panthers Saturday starting with the men at 4 pm and the women at 6 pm.  

The Matchup (Men's): University of Tampa (6-3, 1-1 SSC) vs. Florida Tech (7-3, 3-1 SSC)

The Matchup (Women's): University of Tampa (5-3, 1-1 SSC) vs. Florida Tech (6-2, 2-2 SSC) 

Date/Time: Saturday, December 10 at 4:00 and 6:00 p.m.

Location: Bob Martinez Athletics Center | Tampa, Fla.

Last Time Out (Men's): The Spartans took down the Eagles of Embry-Riddle University in a decisive win 107-91. The first 10 minutes of the game, the teams traded baskets. Then, the Spartans found their rhythm and opened up a double-digit lead with just over 10 minutes left on the clock. The Spartans came out of half time with the same momentum extending their lead to 19 points. The Eagles responded with a run of their own, but not enough to close in on the gap. The Spartans never looked back and ended the game with a a 16 point advantage. Sophomore Pat Bacon led all Spartans with 30 points. He also tallied six rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal. The second leading point scorer was junior Marcel Robinson with 21 points. He also recorded six rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal. As a team, the Spartans shot 63.8 percent from the field. 

Last Time Out (Women's): The Spartans fell to the Eagles of Embry-Riddle University in a tough battle, 57-49. Tampa and ERAU traded baskets for a few points but then the Spartans went on a 9-1 run in the first quarter. The Eagles offense was sparked as they closed in on the Spartans lead and tied the game to end the first quarter. The Eagles continued their lead into the second quarter and finished the half leading by three. After the half, the Spartans struggled to close the deficit and dropped a close game to their regional rival. Junior Morgan Lumb led all Spartans with 15 points, and five rebounds. She was followed by junior Karma Jeremie who recorded 13 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block. As a team, the Spartans shot 36 percent from the field, collected 28 rebounds, eight assists, and six bench points.  

About the Spartans (Men's): UT is led offensively by sophomore Bacon, tallying 15.1 points per game. He is followed by junior Duke Shelton and senior Austin Rettig with 14.1 and 11.9, respectively. Shelton sits in second place in the SSC for rebounds with 10.8 per game and in second place for blocked shots with 1.6 per game. As a team, the Spartans are second in conference for defensive rebounds with 26.9 per game and first in conference for blocked shots averaging 4.11 per game. The Spartans also lead the conference in field goal percentage at 47 percent.

About the Spartans (Women's): The Spartans are led offensively by senior Elena deAlfredo who is second in the SSC for points per game with 14.6. She is followed by junior Jeremie and Lumb with 12.8 and 11.3, respectively. As a team, the Spartans are averaging 64.5 points per game and have a 47.0 field goal percentage.

About the Panthers (Men's): Jordan Majors and Sam Daniel lead the Panthers offensively averaging 22.2 and 21.2 points per game, respectively. As a team, FIT is shooting 48.7 percent from the field and collecting 37.8 rebounds per game.The Panthers are averaging 8.8 steals per game and 3.6 blocks per game. 

About the Panthers (Women's): Shequana Harris leads the Panthers with 117 points averaging 14.6 points per game. DeLise Williams is the second leading point scorer for FIT with 77 points and 9.6 per game. As a team, the Panthers are averaging 43.3 rebounds per game and shooting 41.2 percent from the field. 

Series History (Men's): The Spartans hold the all-time series record over the Panthers with a 51-23 record.

Series History (Women's): The Spartans lead the all-time series record over the Panthers with a close 35-34 record. 

Tickets: Tickets for are $5 for adults, senior citizens and coaches. Children under 12 will be admitted free. UT students, faculty and staff will be admitted free with a valid student ID.

Admission will be free for those who bring canned goods and non-perishable items for donations. 

Live Stats | Watch Live

Follow UT Athletics: @TampaSpartans on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and Vimeo.

Text Alerts: UT also offers a free text messaging service that sends text alerts following all Spartan events. To sign up, please register at www.tampaspartans.com.

Front Row: Download the official app of UT Athletics on the Apple or Android store. Look for Tampa Spartans Front Row app to receive notifications from your favorite Spartan teams. The app is completely free.